>Max, I would also like to call attention to the religious aspect of it -
>third worldism is a form of a messianistic cult of the kind that were
>popular in the 19th century Europe (originating in the hegelian right, if
>memory serves). Essentiaslly the idea was to self-portray a disadvantaged
>nation or a group of people as the "messiah of nations" that is, a nation
>whose suffering significantly contributes to the 'salvation' i.e.
>prosperity of other nations. This way, disadvantaged groups could
>vicariously overcome their marginalization and see themselves as the 'pivot
>of the world.' Kind of biblical eschatology ("the wretched of the earth
>inherit the kingdom of heaven") without the other-worldly mumbo-jumbo.
Wojtek, I don't think this is justified. Some "third worldists" are
messianic, but not all are. (Jim B. didn't seem to be messianic to me,
though he does seem to be a third worldist.) Similarly, some "classical
Marxists" are messianic, but not all are. (We should remember that one of
the key criticisms of Marx and Marxism by people like Robert Tucker is that
they are messianic.)
Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] & http://clawww.lmu.edu/~JDevine
